Home Office response to the crime in England and Wales 2009/10 report

This news article was published under
the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Home Secretary Theresa May responds to the publication of the annual Crime in England and Wales crime statistics

Statement from the Home Secretary

Theresa May said, ‘Any reductions in crime are welcome, but we know these statistics offer a partial picture about the true level of crime. And there are many offences, including antisocial behaviour, which are not always reported or fully recorded, but which ruin too many lives.

‘No society should accept a situation where at least 26,000 people a day fall victim to crime. That is why we will reform the police to make them more accountable to their communities and cut bureaucracy to get officers onto the beat and fighting crime.

‘What matters to people is the crime that happens in their local communities and what is being done about it. This is why we want the public to know what is really going on in their area and will publish monthly crime information about what is happening on their streets by January next year.

‘We are determined to restore trust in crime statistics and are currently considering how they should be collected and published in future. We are working with the UK Statistics Authority and others to consider this carefully.’

Notes to editors

The annual publication ‘Crime in England and Wales 2009/10’ includes results from the British Crime Survey and crimes recorded by the police for the 12 months up to April 2010.